Wearable figurine

ABSTRACT

A wearable toy is provided, including a figurine body defining a substantially planar bottom surface; a magnet disposed within the figurine body; and an attachment element magnetically engageable with the substantially planar bottom surface. A method of affixing a toy figurine to an article of clothing is also provided, including positioning a toy figurine adjacent a first surface of the article of clothing; positioning an attachment element in proximity to the toy figurine on a second surface opposite the first surface; and magnetically engaging the attachment element to the toy figurine with the article of clothing disposed there between.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

N/A

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

N/A

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to toy figurines and more particularly totoy figurines that are wearable or otherwise attachable to clothing in adesired position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toy figures and dolls are a mainstay as toys for young children, andcome in a variety of different categories. There are figures orfigurines that are electrically-powered and self-animating, figureshaving a plurality of moving joints allowing a child to set the figurein a particular pose, as well as figures or dolls that simply provide achild with a miniature mannequin to dress and accessorize as theyplease. Despite the seemingly-timeless and wide ranging dolls andfigurines available, there is always a continual desire to provideimprovements and novelty over existing toys to continue to entertainchildren and stimulate their imaginations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a toy figurine assembly that isattachable or otherwise wearable on an article of clothing. Inparticular, a wearable toy is provided, including a figurine body; amagnet disposed within the figurine body; and an attachment elementmagnetically engageable with the figurine body. The attachment elementmay be substantially cylindrical and may include a metallic portionsubstantially surrounded by a non-metallic coating, where thenon-metallic coating includes one or more rubbers, polymers,thermoplastics or the like. The figurine body may define a substantiallyplanar bottom surface, and the attachment element may be engageable witha bottom surface of the figurine such that figurine extendssubstantially vertically from the attachment element.

A wearable toy is also provided, including a figurine body defining asubstantially planar bottom surface; a magnet disposed within thefigurine body, the magnet having a pull strength between approximatelyfour pounds and eight pounds; and an attachment element magneticallyengageable with the substantially planar bottom surface. The attachmentelement may be substantially coin-shaped and include a metallic layerenclosed in an exterior polymer layer and may define an engagementsurface having at least the same size as a size of the substantiallyplanar bottom surface.

The present invention also provides a method of affixing a toy figurineto an article of clothing, including positioning a toy figurine adjacenta first surface of the article of clothing; positioning an attachmentelement in proximity to the toy figurine on a second surface oppositethe first surface; and magnetically engaging the attachment element tothe toy figurine with the article of clothing disposed therebetween. Thetoy figurine may define a substantially planar bottom surface, andpositioning the toy figurine can include positioning the substantiallyplanar surface to abut the first surface of the article of clothing. Thearticle of clothing may include a hat or a shirt, and the first surfaceof the article of clothing may include a shoulder-covering portion ofthe article such that the toy figurine extends substantially verticallyfrom the article of clothing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete understanding of the present invention, and theattendant advantages and features thereof, will be more readilyunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a toy figurineassembly constructed in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the toy figurine assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the toy figurine assembly shown in FIG. 1

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the toy figurine shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary use of an embodiment of a toyfigurine assembly in accordance with the principles of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a toy figurine assembly that isattachable or otherwise wearable on an article of clothing. Referringnow to the drawings in which like reference designators refer to likeelements, there is shown in FIGS. 1-4 an exemplary embodiment of awearable or attachable toy assembly, designated generally as 10. Ofnote, the assembly components have been represented where appropriate byconventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specificdetails that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of thepresent invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details thatwill be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art havingthe benefit of the description herein. Moreover, while certainembodiments or figures described herein may illustrate features notexpressly indicated on other figures or embodiments, it is understoodthat the features and components of the system and devices disclosedherein may be included in a variety of different combinations orconfigurations without departing from the scope and spirit of theinvention.

Continuing to refer to FIGS. 1-4, the toy assembly 10 generally includesa toy figurine body 12 that is engageable with an attachment element 14to facilitate positioning or mounting of the figurine body 12 on orabout an article of clothing. The toy figurine body 12 may have variousshapes and appearances appealing to children for their entertainment andenjoyment. For example, the figurine body 12 may generally include aface region 16 having eyes, a nose, and other facial features configuredto convey a particular expression, whether humorous or otherwise. Thefigurine body 12 may also include a unique and stylized hair arrangement18 protruding from or otherwise attached to the body 12. One or moreappendages 20 may also extend from or otherwise be included on thefigurine body 12, such as rounded feet on a lower extremity or portionof the body 12 and/or one or more arms (not shown) similarly fashionedon an upper extremity or portion of the body 12. The figurine body 12may also define a substantially planar bottom or underside surface 22that aids in or facilitates engagement with the attachment element 14,as described in more detail below. The bottom surface 22 may include acenter torso portion as well as a surface portion forming an undersideor bottom of one or more of the appendages 20.

The figurine body 12 may also include one or more stylized indicia thatillustrate or compliment a theme for a particular figurine. For example,a sports team logo or graphic may be disposed on the body 12, as well asany number of additional representative or illustrative emblems ormarks.

The figurine body 12 of the toy assembly 10 may further include one ormore magnets 24 disposed within or about the body 12 to attract, couple,or engage the attachment element 14. For example, the figurine body 12may define an interior compartment or passage dimensioned to receive theone or more magnets 24 therein. The magnet(s) 24 may be assembled orotherwise positioned within the passage or compartment and secured inplace with an adhesive, a cap, or closure on the passage or compartment,or the like. In another example, the hair arrangement 18 may be adheredto the figurine body 12 to obscure the visibility and/or access to theinterior compartment, thus securing the magnet(s) 24 in place. Themagnet(s) 24 may include any material, object or device that produces amagnetic field, including permanent magnets such as ceramic or ferritemagnets, alnico magnets, rare earth magnets, ticonal magnets, and mayalso include one or more electromagnets. The magnet(s) 24 may provide amagnetic field having sufficient strength or pull to securely yetreleasably engage the attachment element 14, and may be in the range ofapproximately four to eight pounds of pull strength, for example.

The attachment element 14 may be releasably engageable with a portion ofthe figurine body 12 to allow the assembly 10 to be fixed or coupled toan article of clothing, as mentioned above. The attachment element 14may define a substantially cylindrical or coin-shaped body that ismagnetically attracted by the magnets 24 sufficiently to releasablysecure the attachment element 14 to the underside or surface 22 of thefigurine body 12. Towards that end, the attachment element 14 may definea substantially planar surface readily positionable adjacent to thesubstantially planar surface 22 of the figurine body 12. Also, theattachment element 14 may define an engagement surface 26 having atleast the same size or greater as a size of the substantially planarbottom surface 22 such that the attachment element 14 does not need tobe exactly aligned with the figurine body 12 in order to achieve adesired magnetic engagement between the components.

To facilitate the magnetic attachment between the figurine body 12 andthe attachment element 14, the attachment element may be constructedfrom a magnetically-responsive or otherwise attractable material. Forexample, the attachment element 14 may include a metallic core or layer28 that is magnetically engageable with the figurine body 12 via themagnet(s) 24. In addition, the attachment element 14 may include anon-metallic layer or coating 30 substantially surrounding or otherwiseenclosing the magnetically-attractable core 28. The exterior layer 30may include one ore more plastics or polymers, such as rubbers,polymers, thermoplastics or the like, for example. The exterior coatingor layer 30 adds to the overall safety of the device in shieldingexposure to the metallic core 28 in addition to cushioning theattachment element 14 for comfort and ease of use.

Now referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary use of the toy assembly 10 isillustrated. The figurine body 2 may be mounted or positioned on aportion of an article of clothing 32, such as a shirt, hat, or the like.In particular, the figurine body 12 may be positioned such that itsunderside surface 26 abuts or is otherwise adjacent a first surface orexterior of the article of clothing 32. The attachment element 14 may bepositioned adjacent to or otherwise abutting an opposite, interiorsurface of the article of clothing 32. The adjacent positioning of thefigurine body 12 and the attachment elements 14 on opposite sides of theclothing article 32 allows the magnet 24 in the figurine body 12 toattract and releasably engage the attachment element 14 with the layerof the clothing article disposed in between. The engagement of thefigurine body 12 to the attachment element 14 allows the assembly 10 tobe mounted or otherwise worn on a portion of the body covered by theclothing article 32, such as the shoulder area as shown in FIG. 5. Inparticular, the toy figurine 12 may be positioned on the shoulder orneck area of the clothing article such that it extends substantiallyvertically upward from the clothing article 32 while the attachmentelement 14 resides in a substantially horizontal configuration beneaththe surface of the clothing article 32 and out of sight. The securedmagnetic attachment between the figurine body 12 and the attachmentelement 14 allows the figurine to be worn as desired without damagingthe clothing article, and further provides sufficient coupling force toprevent the toy figurine 12 from becoming dislodged or moved duringnormal movements such as walking. The toy assembly 10 thus provides afigurine 12 that can be worn about the body and taken wherever the childmay go.

It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that the presentinvention is not limited to what has been particularly shown anddescribed herein above. In addition, unless mention was made above tothe contrary, it should be noted that all of the accompanying drawingsare not to scale. A variety of modifications and variations are possiblein light of the above teachings without departing from the scope andspirit of the invention, which is limited only by the following claims.

1. A wearable toy, comprising: a figurine body; a magnet disposed withinthe figurine body; and an attachment element magnetically engageablewith the figurine body.
 2. The toy according to claim 1, wherein theattachment element is substantially cylindrical.
 3. The toy according toclaim 1, wherein the attachment element includes a metallic portionsubstantially surrounded by a non-metallic coating.
 4. The toy accordingto claim 1, wherein the non-metallic coating includes a polymer.
 5. Thetoy according to claim 1, wherein the attachment element is engageablewith a bottom surface of the figurine.
 6. The toy according to claim 1,wherein the figurine body defines a substantially planar bottom surface.7. A wearable toy, comprising: a figurine body defining a substantiallyplanar bottom surface; a magnet disposed within the figurine body, themagnet having a pull strength between approximately four pounds andeight pounds; and an attachment element magnetically engageable with thesubstantially planar bottom surface.
 8. The toy according to claim 7,wherein the attachment element is substantially coin-shaped.
 9. The toyaccording to claim 7, wherein the attachment element includes a metalliclayer enclosed in an exterior polymer layer.
 10. The toy according toclaim 7, wherein the attachment element defines an engagement surfacehaving at least the same size as a size of the substantially planarbottom surface.
 11. A method of affixing a toy figurine to an article ofclothing, comprising: positioning a toy figurine adjacent a firstsurface of the article of clothing; positioning an attachment element inproximity to the toy figurine on a second surface opposite the firstsurface; and magnetically engaging the attachment element to the toyfigurine with the article of clothing disposed therebetween.
 12. Themethod according to claim 11, wherein the toy figurine includes a magnetdisposed therein.
 13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the toyfigurine defines a substantially planar bottom surface, and positioningthe toy figurine includes positioning the substantially planar surfaceto abut the first surface of the article of clothing.
 14. The methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the attachment element is substantiallycoin-shaped.
 15. The method according to claim 11, wherein theattachment element includes a metallic core coated by an exteriorpolymer layer.
 16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the articleof clothing is a shirt.
 17. The method according to claim 16, whereinthe first surface of the article of clothing includes ashoulder-covering portion of the article.
 18. The method according toclaim 17, wherein the toy figurine extends substantially vertically fromthe article of clothing.
 19. The method according to claim 11, whereinthe article of clothing is a hat.